All hail to the hardy perennials which add a splash of colour to gloomy gardens in wintertime, writes Jane Powers
WHILE WE ARE WAITING for next month’s snowdrops, there is not a lot to bring us to our knees in the garden. Nonetheless, there are a few tremendously hardy perennial plants that demand a bit of genuflexion.
The hellebore season begins with the appropriately-named Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) the first to unfurl its blooms. Unfortunately, in my garden this creamy-flowered early bird is a one-year wonder, and fails to make a reappearance in its second season – perhaps because my soil is too dry.
Almost as early, and more inclined to stick around for the long haul, are the Corsican hellebore (H. argutus) and the stinking hellebore (H. foetidus). The former is, to my nose, more stinky than the latter, which seems unfair, but plant nomenclature is often woefully haphazard. Both have bold, graphic foliage and pale-green, cupped blooms. Those of the stinking hellebore are delicately outlined with the thinnest margin of maroon.
A beautiful cross between the Corsican hellebore and the Majorcan H. lividus. is H. x sternii – with pink-suffused green flowers, and purple-backed foliage. All of these do well in dryish soil, which makes them perfect for city gardens. Also performing now are the Abchasicus hybrid hellebores, with dark red flowers. They are more compact than the chic Oriental hybrids, but just as delightful.
One of the most fragile-looking winter gems (although it’s as tough as old shoe leather) is the Algerian iris, I. unguicularis. This beardless iris is a shorty, no more than 20cm tall, and blooming sporadically from around October until March. The species is a pale lavender, while the most widely available variety is ‘Walter Butt’, also lavender.
There are white and dark purple kinds also, as well as a newish one (which I’ve never seen) called ‘Starker’s Pink’. The long, grassy leaves are evergreen, and inclined to get a little dishevelled, with some bits dying off and other bits folding over gracelessly. The late plantsman and writer, Graham Stuart Thomas, recommended cutting the leaves back to a
third of their length in autumn – not for
cosmetic reasons, but to provide less shelter to slugs and snails, which are rather partial to the petals.
The best way to see the flowers is to pick them and bring them indoors. If you get them just on the brink of opening, they will unfurl over the course of half an hour, like your own private nature documentary. Don’t forget to sniff as you watch, as the flowers are deliciously perfumed.
This iris is from the Mediterranean, and requires very well-drained and not particularly fertile soil (overfeeding can give you plenty of healthy leaves and no flowers). Give it a warm spot, against a south-facing wall, where it will get a baking. Remember, it’s just a bunch of leaves for half the year, so don’t give it a prize position – but don’t let it be overshadowed in summer.
The teeny canary-yellow I. danfordiae is also in bloom around now. This Turkish delight is no taller than 8cm, and is best grown in pots, which can be lifted to eye level for spells of adulation. The bulbs split after blooming, and take some years to work themselves up to flowering size again, so it’s easier to replace them each year, and keep the bulb merchants in business.
Next month, it is the turn of the equally diminutive I. reticulata tribe, also best grown in containers, but we’ll all be in a flurry of snowdrop mania then. jpowers@irishtimes.com